The operations of casinos, gaming devices and gaming systems are typically tightly regulated by local, state and federal authorities. These regulations generally require a casino to maintain accurate records regarding every transaction that arises by, in, or through the casino and related properties. Casino operators are also required to maintain positive levels of control over all such transactions, to accurately identify players to such transactions, and to record each such transaction.
Casino operators commonly provide numerous devices on casino floors and elsewhere at which the operator needs to identify and authenticate players, and track transaction arising between the player and the casino. Examples of such devices include electronic gaming machines, point-of-sale terminals, and other devices and systems. More specifically, casino operators are commonly required to track transactions involving “cash” and its equivalents, where “cash” collectively herein refers to any form of financial consideration, such as currency bills issued by a governmental entity, bank credits, house credits, pre-paid accounts, such as those provided by PAYPAL™, and any other form of commonly recognized and transferrable denominations of financial value.
To facilitate the tracking and auditing of such transactions and the transfers of cash by and between players and casino operators, casino operators often encourage players to utilize casino issued “cards,” such as “ticket in, ticket out” (TITO) cards. A TITO card essentially identifies a player and associates a given point value with the player—the bearer of such card. The bearer may utilize known security techniques, such as pins and biometrics, to limit access and use of a TITO card. To use a TITO card, a player will typically fund an account associated with the TITO card by debiting one or more bearer accounts, such as a checking or savings account with a financial institution, or crediting one or more credit card or similar accounts. These debits and credits are electronically exchanged for casino “points” redeemable at the casino and associated properties. Points may be redeemed for practically any purpose, including wagering bets using a casino game, purchasing meals or other goods, attending shows, or other activities. “Points” may also be converted back into “cash” at the player's request. The exchange of “cash” for “points” and vice versa may occur at booths, at electronic gaming machines, betting tables, on-line, via mobile device software applications, or otherwise. Regardless of how such transactions occur, gaming regulations require a tracking of each “point” at each instance in a transactions flow including from the instance at which a point is generated (in exchange for cash), utilized (for example, with the playing of a slots game), and/or reconverted into cash or some other form of consideration provided to a player.
Typically, point tracking occurs across multiple casino computer systems and devices including, for example, master casino tracking systems, slot management systems, TITO management systems, point-of-sale systems, property management systems, such as those used for lodging, recreation and similar casino related operations, individual electronic gaming machines (“EGMs”), and otherwise. One or more of such systems and devices may utilize one or more actual or virtual servers to facilitate point tracking. In short, practically any device or system involved in the granting, redeeming, transfer, or use of a “point” is commonly required to track each “point” passing therethrough as well as the identity of the player acquiring, redeeming, or otherwise transferring such “points.” Accordingly, these requirements impose a high layer of complexity on casino games, systems, and operators.
Further, the underlying game-play of casino gaming machines and systems are tightly regulated. Any change to certain hardware and/or software components of a gaming device often requires re-verification and re-approval by gaming regulators before players can use the game. The re-certification process can be lengthy and expensive. These regulatory and technical constraints often discourage casino system operators from changing the underlying game-play functionality or otherwise modifying casino games including EGMs. It is desirable for new functionality and hardware to be designed in such a manner as to be sufficiently insulated from those regulated components, and ideally to not require interaction with them at all. Additionally, gaming devices may be in operation for decades. It is therefore desirable for new features and functionality to be easily retrofitted to older gaming devices, some of which may not have been designed with modern technological capabilities in mind.
One approach for addressing these concerns has involved the use of interface boards, commonly known as Slot Machine Interface Boards (“SMIBs”). A SMIB commonly enables an EGM to communicate with one or more peripheral devices without the involvement of the game processor. These peripheral devices typically do not affect underlying game-play of an EGM, while providing additional incentives and features to players. For example, the rewarding of coupons, notifying players of promotions, or otherwise are often provided by peripheral devices interconnected to one or more EGMs by one or more SMIBs. A SMIB also may enable an EGM to communicate with other casino system servers and external servers over one or more networks, again without involving the game processor. Of course, other designs are known and available, some of which virtualize the function of a SMIB within a single EGM processor that incorporates both SMIB and gaming processes. Depending on the individual design, different approaches may be required to incorporate new functionality without requiring re-certification. Several examples are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/482,615, filed on Sep. 22, 2016, and entitled “Bill Validation and Cash Dispensing Device, System and Method for Use in a Casino Context” (the “'615 Application”), the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The premium services described herein and in the '615 Application are typically provided through a window overlay (or picture-in-picture) on the gaming machine's display. While the premium services are greatly desirable to casino patrons, the window overlay method of using the services is sub-optimal. A patron's mobile phone would be a more convenient interface device to access the premium services, but casino regulations, as well as good business practice, require significant security provisions so that patrons and casinos are protected from theft and other malicious activity. Establishing a direct, authenticated, encrypted wireless communication session solves many of these problems. However, the lack of a quick, intuitive, and seamless means for a casino patron to create the secure session has previously made the mobile phone an unsuitable candidate for interfacing with premium services.
With the advent of smart-phones and similar personal computing devices (collectively, “mobile devices”), and the electronic wallet and mobile application features provided by such devices, players today often forego the use of physical credit cards, bank debit cards, identity cards, and access cards in non-casino gaming environments. That is, players often utilize their mobile devices and software applications and technologies provided therewith to engage in transactions. Such mobile devices often use close proximity communications technologies, such as optical character readers, Near-Field Communications (“NFC”), Bluetooth, and otherwise, to engage in such transactions while replacing physical cards. It is commonly known that NFC and Bluetooth are communications technology and a series of specifications provided, respectively, by the NFC Forum, Inc. and Bluetooth SIG, Inc. Such specifications and technologies are incorporated herein by reference.
Yet, despite this widespread use of mobile devices to engage in commerce and transactions in non-casino environments, today, no viable mechanism for complying with the regulatory and operational considerations facing casino operators has enabled the deployment of similar mobile device capabilities in a casino, gaming environment.
As such, a need exists in the casino industry for devices, systems, and methods which both enable players to utilize mobile devices to engage in various gaming transactions, such as the redeeming of cash or points in exchange for the opportunity to engage in a game of chance, while interfacing directly with an EGM. Desirably, the various embodiments of such needed devices, systems, and methods satisfying this long-lasting need are economically efficient in that they are compatible with both existing EGMs and with commonly used mobile device technologies, without requiring any fundamental changes in the operations of either.